Planning Guidelines

The planning guidelines offer a compilation of strategies for densification and sustainable development taken from international experiences, and analyzed for their applicability to the Mexican context. The strategies fall under four key categories, encompassing a range of tools that can be applied in any range of urban development projects: densifying existing metropolitan areas; developing greenfield sites; retrofitting existing areas; and coordinating data and developing urban indicators.

The planning guidelines contain 70+ strategies that fall under these four main themes. The report includes descriptions of the individual strategies, examples of their application, brief reflections on their applicability in Mexico, and consideration of the benefits and challenges of their implementation. The report also contains detailed case studies drawn from international experiences with densification efforts in the U.S., Australia, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, and Mexico. Overall, the report aims to serve as an introductory guide to redensification for an international audience, whether planning students and academics, urban development officials, neighborhood planning advocates, private investors, etc.

To download an interactive version of the full report, click here.

For a full version of the report in Spanish, click here.

To download specific sections of the report, follow the links:

Cover

Introduction and Table of Contents

Part 1: Densifying Existing Areas

Part 2: Improving Greenfield Development

Part 3: Retrofitting Places

Part 4: Increasing Data Coordination and Developing Urban Indicators

Appendix A: Checklist of Takeaways

Appendix B: Density Definitions

Appendix C: Sustainability Definitions

Appendix D: Case Studies 

Appendix E: Retrofit and Densification Physical Strategies

Appendix F: Territorial Reserves Preliminary Assessment

Appendix G: International Urban Sustainability Indicators

Notes

References